Because Gretchen’s area of expertise is happiness, I have, of course, not stopped thinking about it in various forms, all week. Nor have my co-workers. Gretchen tends to have that effect on people.

There was a fun exercise after the panel, in which the attendees were asked to write down the strangest thing that makes them happy in 6 words or less, (huge hat tip to SMITH Magazine). I joked earlier that my answer was Watching Real Housewives uninterrupted, and one of my male colleagues said, “I HATE that show! It makes me crazy!”

“Exactly,” I said.

“Nate feels the same way. So there’s something about knowing that Nate is off at work that night and that I’ve got an uninterrupted hour with no one around to make fun of me or criticize me or roll their eyes at my choice.” I can just lie there in peace, with the kids asleep, thinking about absolutely nothing of importance or pressing societal value for a whole sixty minutes.

And it’s awesome.

Even if it’s not as erudite an answer as “Reading Chaucer and sipping Oolong.”

But hey, one of Gretchen’s points in her book is that acknowledging the hobbies and activities you enjoy (Twilight novels! Angry Birds! Drinking White Zinfandel with ice cubes!), whatever they seem to say about you, is a big contributor to happiness too.

I would add things like The misspellings on my kids’ artwork.

How Sage can’t say her R’s.

Photos of grandparents I never knew.

Peanut butter and chocolate ice cream.

Watching children in a museum.

(I also thought about how hugging my kids at the end of the day still makes me happy. Although I wouldn’t call that strange.)

Some of the other answers from other people were really wonderful:

The smell of dirt

Watching The Sound of Music

Folding laundry

The girders on the Brooklyn Bridge.

Getting to break the six world limit. (Ha)

But I think my favorite was: Finding empty parking spaces.

When I’m walking around and I see a big, comfy, cushy space smack in the middle of a busy New York block and I think, wow, someone is going to be really happy to get that. And that makes me feel good. And then Gretchen and I both confessed that we get the same feeling seeing a taxi drive by with its “available” light on. It makes us think, hey, I could go somewhere right now if I wanted! Anywhere, almost! There’s something incredibly happiness-making when you’re faced with possibilities and no right or wrong answers, no consequences. Just a big old, “what if?”

I started to analyze the things that make my kids happy and how that changes–or will change–over the years. About how Thalia today can just cuddle up next to me in the nail salon, without getting any services, without playing iPad or reading a book, because, as she says, she just likes to be there with me. I thought about how funny it is that Sage is so happy when we jump in bed to read the next chapter of the Oz books and she gets to be on my coveted right side. For some reason, the right side is the BEST side in her world.

Then I realized something else after a few days of reflection: it actually makes me happy to think about the things that make other people happy.

Just thinking about another person smiling as she watches Do Re Mi for the 400th time, or comes home to a freshly made bed makes me feel good. Watching thousands of New Yorkers fill the intersections acrosss 23rd street last night for Manhattanhenge simply to cheer a sunset, made me happy–in part because I felt their joy too.

That’s a pretty cool thing. And I think, when I’m feeling kind of down or cynical or anxious or whatever is the opposite of happy, I want to try and work hard to think about other happy people–not to mock them or question their authenticity, but to find some inspiration of my own. It seems like a good plan right now; we’ll see how it goes.

So tell me, in six words or less, what is the strangest thing that makes you happy?

Choosing my own TV show.
Working out uninterrupted.
Intercepting a pass to a forward. (Soccer. Reading it right makes me smile. Every time.)
Finishing an book in one sitting.
The smell of dirt post-rain.

The smell of fresh laid asphalt
Sourdough toast with lots of butter
Green lights all the way down Franklin St (I live in a small, rural, tourist town in Upstate NY – There are about eleventy billion stop lights along the 2 mile stretch that is main street)

* when my son retells stories of his babyhood that he heard from me and my husband
* when my sons’ school friends say Hi to me
* a big bright full moon (especially if shining on water)
* seeing the cherry blossom trees in full bloomIsabel @alphamom recently posted..DIY Olympic Gold Medals

(Last night he asked for clarification on a detail one of the announcers had just said, and I had to tell him that I had no idea, that I just liked being on the sofa with him, seeing his excitement, and looking for George Hincapie, who happens to live in our town.)Kelley recently posted..Zutano and Flap Happy-For a Happy Summer Baby.

She’s 5, but we started when she was 4.5. She doesn’t get it in the same way her sister does, and I stop a lot to explain things or I change up some of the harder or more dated language. But she loves them…as indicated by the fact that they act out “Ozma and the Gnome King” a whole lot.

It’s a tradition in our house that whenever that song comes on we all drop what we’re doing and dance around like dorks. This is major happy making.

Shirts. Shorts. Shirts. Shorts. Shirts. Shorts.

Madden can’t say her r’s either. I know I should be encouraging her to fix that but I still think it’s the cutest thing “evew”. We ask her to say shirts and shorts over and over again and they sound like the same word.

“And I think, when I’m feeling kind of down or cynical or anxious or whatever is the opposite of happy, I want to try and work hard to think about other happy people–not to mock them or question their authenticity, but to find some inspiration of my own. ”

My kids learning new skills.
My girls reading late into the night.
My son swimming the length of the pool. (The doesn’t count right?)
A sunset.
The ocean.
Dates with each of my kids.
Driving and my favorite song comes on.
Sitting on my back porch.
Homemade ice cream.
Opening a brand new book.
Liquor store having my fave wine in stock.
Seeing people be kind on Twitter.
Planning our staycation.
New episodes of Rizzoli & Isles.
Beating a hard level on Angry Birds without having to text my best friend for help. 😉

I really think that being able to find happiness in the small things is what makes life better. So many people talk about happiness in big huge terms. I’ve always believed that if you can find it in the small things, you’ll lead a happier life.Issa recently posted..Attention all weather gods and or mother nature

-popping bubble wrap
-being in the same room with my three sisters. Anywhere.
-loud music in my car with the windows rolled down and summer air breezing into the car.
-my sons saying anything funny and laughing with them
-sitting at the beach with the sun beating down on me, sand in my toes, and my boys playing together.
-a pedicure.
-a phone call with my mom.
-ice cream
-inside jokes with my sister Lana

Freshly made bed right before bed
Two chapters before finishing a book
Dancing with my husband in odd spots (subway station: check. Elevator: check. Comic-con: check. The list goes on).
Knowing my work is kick-ass
A burger after the beach
Floating in the ocean
My son’s laughs, hugs & kisses
And the way he says packpack (backpack)
And yells MOMMY when I walk in
Pulling in my driveway after work
Writing something people connect with

Making people laugh or even smile
My dog snuggling next to me
Hearing a heartfelt “thank you!”
Watching my kids play with friends
Seeing my husband play with kids
A good, not-to-hot run
Really loud songs from the 90’s
A vacuumed house with clean toilets (really)
Sushi, ice cream, warm cookies, and gooey pizza (but not all at once)Fairly Odd Mother recently posted..Is there bullying in homeschooling?

My first cup of coffee in the morning.
My son’s belly laugh.
The field of wildflowers near the zoo parking lot.
Cold water after a run.
The smell of my daughter’s freshly shampooed hair.
Cooking without interruption.
Long, hot showers at night (I get to hog the hot water.)Karen recently posted..Label GMO’s. Your Right To Know

The smell of the earth after rain.
My child that gives me a kiss.
Tulips
Rereading Pride and Prejudice for the umptheenth time with a glass of Merlot to keep me company
My daily piece of extra dark chocolate
Lasagna
Watching my girls discover all the fun things about childhood.
The look on my daughter’s faces when I ask them if they would like pancakes for breakfast
Making said pancakes for breakfast.
Eating said pancakes for breakfast.
etc etc etcTinne from Tantrums and Tomatoes recently posted..Happiness on a plate : Pasta with Vongole, Mussles and fresh Pesto

Butterfly kisses from my boys, towels straight from the dryer ( especially when its cold, the feel of baby powder on the tile floor, smell of rain, sitting on the beach in September, a great sale, the smell of new crayons. Peeps

Sunday morning summer breakfast in backyard
Snowy quietness of winter morning
Loosing to my son in Wii
My daughter breaking into spontaneous dance
Shopping for sexy lingerie with my husband
Being appreciative and polite to store clerks/telemarketers/call centre agents/postman/taxi drivers… (essentially anybody that will never meet me again and is providing me some kind of service)
People walking/biking anywhere
Strangers sharing a bit of themselves
Farmers looking bright and happy

I remember watching a documentary from CBC that explored various ways on making people happy. They took couple of folks, and basically said: we’ll pay for anything you want. So folks got pedicures, Lamborghini rides, a weekend in nice hotel… and everybody was pretty much the same a week after. Then documentary demanded from them to re-connect with someone important in their lives: so folks got some time with good friend, estranged mother, neglected brother… and everybody felt better one month later. Then documentary demanded those folks help someone else. So folks went and helped charity, put some work in neighbour’s yard, helped relative with cancer. And all of them felt happier and fulfilled even couple of months later, some of these “helps” turned out into fulfilling hobbies/relationships. It really made me think that we as species are not well equipped to understand what brings us lasting happiness. And what makes us tick is more related to other people being happy, then us having our wishes met.

my kids telling me they love me — unprompted.
hearing my kids being nice to each other – – unprompted.
my big dog sitting on my lap pretending to be small.
walking the streets of brooklyn during summer evenings.
ice cream
hearing/seeing good friends i haven’t seen in a while
the beach — especially in the evening.
hearing my daughter say “you’re the best mom in the whole world.”

“Watching Rebecc@ and M@rg@ret play together.”
“Holding hands just before sleep.”
“Eating the perfect French fry – yum.”

You probably already know of this book, but just in case you don’t, check out *Have You Filled a Bucket Today?* by Carol McCloud. It’s about how making others happy is a great way to make yourself happy. My five year old LOVES it.

-The smell of a clean house. (I don’t use scented products
but you can just smell the clean.)
-Watching family open my gifts.
-The sound of my daughter babbling in her crib in the
morning as I wake up.
-The sound of a loon on a lake in the dead of night.Clio recently posted..Teething Bites

Making my kids laugh out loud. I will say any outrageous thing I can think of to make this happen.
Perfectly fried eggs on toasted homemade bread.
Starting a great book, finishing a jigsaw puzzle.
Dozing off on a beach, knowing hubby is watching the kids.
Hugs.